In any type of computer system, management of temperature during operation is a primary concern. Improper management of temperature can lead to unstable operation of the computer system and, in a worst case, to damage to the computer system. As a result, a computer system is typically designed with one or more cooling systems to ensure proper management of temperature in the computer system. One typical type of cooling system utilized in computer systems is a fan-based ventilation system. An example of a computer system incorporating a fan-based cooling system is illustrated in FIG. 1.
FIG. 1 is an illustration of a conventional computer system 100 incorporating a fan-based cooling system. As shown in FIG. 1, the computer system 100 includes a chassis 101 for housing the various components of the computer system 100. The various components in computer system 100 can vary depending on the type of tasks computer system 100 is configured to perform, but generally include at least a main board 102. The main board 102 can include the operational components. For example, the operational components can include processor devices, memory devices, or any other devices required for the computer system 100 to perform the tasks it is designed for.
For purposes of cooling, the computer system 100 can include at least one fan tray 106 including one or more fans 108, as shown in FIG. 1. The fan tray 106 can be, for example, a removable fan module including the one of the fans 108. Alternatively, the fan tray 106 can be a board or other structure configured to receive one or more removable fan modules including the one of the fans 108. The fan tray 106 (and thus fans 108) can be coupled to the main board 102. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, a connector 104 can be provided to connect the fan tray 106 to the main board 102. Connector 104 can be associated with a fan slot (not shown) in chassis 101 for receiving the fan tray 106. In such a configuration, insertion of the fan tray 106 into fan slot can also result in fan tray 106 engaging connector. However, in other configurations, the fan tray 106 may have a cable (not shown) to insert into connector.
In addition to the fan tray 106, the computer system 100 can also include components for controlling the fan. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the computer system 100 can also include a fan control unit 110. The fan control unit 110 can be configured to generate the necessary signals (PWN_out) at connector 104 to operate the fans 108 with a desired duty cycle. In some cases, the fan control unit 110 can be designed to operate autonomously. For example, the fan control unit 110 can receive data from one or more temperature sensors (not shown) in computer system 100 and adjust the duty cycle for the fans 108 accordingly.
In other cases, the operation of fan control unit 110 can be coordinated with other fan control units controlling other fan trays in computer system 100. In these cases, the computer system 100 can include, as shown in FIG. 1, a system controller 112 coupled to fan control unit 110 and other fan control units. For example, the system controller 112 can be coupled via an I2C/SMBus to the fan control unit 110, as well as any other fan control units in computer system 100. In operation, the system controller 112 can receive sensor data or other data from various parts of computer system 100 and generate appropriate signals for fan control unit 110 and other fan control units in computer system.
While the configuration of FIG. 1 provides rudimentary temperature management in computer system 100, this configuration cannot deal with certain types of errors, failures, and other events typically encountered. For example, failures or errors in the system controller 112 or the fan control unit 110 are not addressed by the configuration of FIG. 1. Further, the configuration of FIG. 1 does not provide a way to manage temperature during the hot-swap of components, including fans.